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tags:
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cve,
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mark :: blog
After spending the last 3 years working every day on my trusty T41
laptop (dual screen with external TFT) I decided to build myself a new
desktop Linux PC so I could go to triple-head, play 3D games, use
vmware, and compiles wouldn't take so long. The components had to
work well with Linux and the goal was a low power, silent, PC. Here
is what I ended up with:
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600. Every other machine I've built
in the past has used AMD; but the E6600 has a much lower power
consumption and good price/performance.
- Motherboard: Intel D975XBX2 "Bad Axe 2". Nice MB, unfortunately
lm_sensors doesn't support the chipset yet so no fan speed reporting,
and the integrated hda sound works but doesn't let you do a loopback
from line in to line out with current alsa drivers. Motherboard is
teamed with a Ninja Scythe CPU cooler, 2Gb of 6400 memory, and
two Spinpoint P120 250Gb drives.
- Case: Antec P180B. I've used this case before. It's expensive
but has a thermally separate wind tunnel for the HDD and PSU, making
it really quiet and really efficient at getting rid of heat. The case
has three 120mm fans, but I currently only need to have one on low. I
used a Seatec 80% efficiency P-12 550W PSU with it.
- Graphics: Two XFX 7600GS. I need to run 3 DVI monitors, and the
7600GS was the lowest power dual-DVI card available whilst still
having an acceptable 3D performance (it's not going to see much 3D
work). The cards are also passive cooled and need no extra power
connections (they're currently running around 48C each, perfectly
fine).
- Monitors: Three HP LP2065 20" TFT. I settled on the HP monitors
as they have S-IPS LCD panels, thin bezels, and most importantly dual
DVI inputs (so I can share all three monitors with a second machine
without an expensive DVI KVM). They were also pretty cheap, GBP260
each including 3 year on site warranty, so three of these cost me less
than two widescreen 24" screens and gave me more screen area.
Currently running at 4800x1200 combined resolution, although any OpenGL
windows are limited to 4096x1200.
- OS: Red Hat Enterprise Linux x86_64.
So far things are working out well; it makes less noise than my water
cooler, and when mostly idle (streaming radio, vpn, background tasks)
consumes just 100W. Running "openssl speed" on both cores can take it
up to 150W, but over the week it's average has been 110W. I think it
would look nicer with one of those three-monitor
mounts, but they're a little expensive to justify.
Update: Andy Burns sent me a mail about his Intel MB working with lm85 sensor (reminder, must get a nice blosxom comment module). A quick modprobe lm85 force=0,0x2e; service lm_sensors start later and I now get temperatures and fan speed reporting. Thanks Andy!
Created: 27 Feb 2007
Tagged as: fedora
, red hat
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